Tunnel Dream
by Yushi
Summary: A dream I had whilst sick in bed. A disjointed journey through a shifting world where strange rules apply.


At a family reunion, we were hiking along some oceanside cliffs, when we found a little cave with some tunnels leading deep underground, and decided the cave would be a good place for a picnic. All the children were strictly ordered to stay away from the tunnels, or they might get lost. My little sister didn't listen, and became curious, so she wandered into one of the tunnels. My uncle ran after her, and disappeared, and my sister immediately popped out of another of the tunnels. She was grabbed and hustled into the middle of the group, and we all waited to see if my uncle would reemerge. He didn't, and the idea popped into my head that maybe we needed to trade something to the tunnel for him to come back out. So I grabbed the nearest object, a 2-liter of soda, and chucked it into the nearest tunnel, an opening that seemed to be gated off. Nothing happened. It then occurred to me, more reasonably, that I could go after him, and just remember my steps so I could get back.

I walked down the tunnel into which he had disappeared. Suddenly, I wasn't passing through a cave tunnel, but a building walkway, railing and nothingness on the right side, wall and the occasional corridor on the other. Faceless people started to push past me, seeming afraid of something, I glanced behind me and saw a large, red, masked thing (resembling a Japanese demon) coming, and someone quickly told me to run from the red one, because if it touched you, it would do something horrible to you, but the blue-masked one might be merciful, and give you some sort of blessing. I let myself be pulled down the walkway with the mob, fleeing the red monster, until I noticed a bolted, iron door along the wall. I grabbed onto it, undoing the lever and forcing it open against the surge of the crowd. More people were inside, in a darkened, dirty state, some lying on the floor, others huddled along the walls. Afraid that the red monster might open the door, and catch me cornered in there, I slammed the door shut and continued to run, mindful that the monster was much closer to catching me now. As the corridor wound left and met an intersection of crossroads (it looked like a foyer), I remembered that there seemed to be another tunnel directly to the left of where I had entered this maze, and took the immediate left, racing down this new corridor. The people were thinning out now, seemingly having found hiding places or split down the other halls. I reached the end of the passage, and bounded into the cave.

It was empty. I ran toward the mouth, hoping that my family might still be close by, but feeling terribly abandoned. Instead of cliffs and sea, I stepped out into a church. The few people I saw mingling were dressing in a sort of civil war-era/Victorian style of clothes. I walked out the door, somewhat in shock, oblivious to whether or not the people noticed me. I thought I saw my mother's dark red car with her in the driver's seat, waiting along the curb, but as I ran closer, and called to her, the illusion faded, and it was just a stranger sitting in the driver's seat of a carriage. I turned back to the church, and it occurred to me that I had left on a bright summer's day, and it was now nighttime and snowing. As I entered the church, I approached a couple sitting near the entrance, and tried out the time-traveler's favorite question. "What's the date?" The woman looked startled at me, "What?" she asked. I rephrased my question, "What year is it?" "1881. Why?" she answered, still looking confused. The overwhelming realization came over me, and I stumbled away, unable to answer her. Frantically searching my brain for an explanation, I decided the only explanation was that I must need to exit the same way I came in. Mustering my courage, I reentered the cave.

Striking out down the tunnel I had so recently evacuated, I steeled myself to reenter the strange, rundown world, hoping that the red creature had moved on down another way, so I could retrace my steps without difficulty. As my surrounding shifted, I was shocked. Instead of the seedy apartment-building walls of before, the place had undergone a transformation into French bourgeois decadence, gold trim and mouldings everywhere. The crush of people and the red monster had disappeared, and I ran down the beautiful, empty corridor, trying to find the right pathway back to my family. Everything had changed. I could not find the right way. I rediscovered the crossway, re-imagined as a multi-level opera-house foyer, and the residents of this place, shuffling about on their own business. Seeing a way to my right, and hoping that it was the same I had previously gone down, I took it. It curved the same way, despite that there was a wall on both sides now. As I kept walking, I realized the iron door had vanished. I ignored the sinking feeling in my gut. Reaching the end, I walked out of the portal, and into the cave…

It was no longer a cave. It had been transformed into a great, arching auditorium, not only filled withs rows of chairs, but also couches and end tables, and other manner of furniture. A cry from behind me, and a surge of bodies, and the icy wrench of fear took me out of my dismay. The monster! It was back! Scrambling for hiding, people dashing his way and that, I knew I couldn't outrun whatever it was in this open space, and I dived for cover. The rack of chairs close to the entryway was unsuitable, too exposed, i scurried back further. No good! Still to exposed! Too close! Crawling from one copse of furniture to another, I heard the creature coming, and froze, stretched out flat on the floor against a lurid red couch. It was right there! I could practically feel it's breath through the couch! I could hear the sobs and murmurs of those too unlucky to get away. The monster began to speak, musty and slow, quiet but reverberating. What exactly it said, I don't know. I understood at the time, but couldn't remember afterwards. My curiosity got the better of me, and I peeked around the edge of the couch. It was blue! Not the red one! Relief mingled with the desire to share in whatever blessing it was giving to the others, and I scooted forward in time to join the rest for the last part of the blue mask's speech. "somethingsomething…Two…somethingsomething" it muttered, then vanished. I'm not sure what it blessed us with. I don't even know if I actually shared in the blessing. And I don't know where it went, but I suspected it would be moving around within this labyrinth again. Judging by what I'd heard before, incidents with these creatures were a regular occurrence in this place.

Looking around the auditorium, and the others slinking away, I decided to move on. I didn't know when I might see my family again, but I couldn't think of any way to reach them. Besides, I was curious about this place. I wanted to explore and learn more about it. Argh! It occurred to me! I should've asked the blue-mask how the rules worked! I couldn't recall anyone trying to interrupt it while it was speaking, though. Maybe if I met it again..? Or what about the red-mask? I shuddered at the thought of getting close enough to speak to that thing. And there was no way of knowing what it might do. It seemed like death, waiting to happen. Well, if it ever did catch me, then..? I abruptly turned off that line of thought. It was too terrifying to even consider. It seemed that I needed to be ever wary of the threat of the red mask. Seeing as people had been running from the blue one as well, perhaps it wasn't always safe either.

I returned to the crossway, going down a new hallway, one I hadn't even considered before.

Forgive me for crummy storytelling and any errors. I merely wrote down this dream I just had while spending the day sick in bed.


End file.
